Run It Fast®

Live blog and coverage of the Boston Marathon on April 21, 2014. The race starts at 9:30am ET. Our coverage will start a few minutes before.

(REFRESH for Updates)

Top 10 Boston Marathon Male Finishers:
1. Meb Keflezighi (San Diego, Calif.) 2:08:37
2. Wilson Chebet (KEN) 2:08:48
3. Frankline Chepwony (KEN) 2:08:50
4. Vitaliy Shafar (UKR) 2:09:37
5. Markos Geneti (ETH) 2:09:50
6. Joel Kimurer (KEN) 2:11:03
7. Nick Arciniaga (Flagstaff, Ariz.) 2:11:47
8. Jeffrey Eggleston (Boulder, Colo.) 2:11:57
9. Paul Lonyangata (KEN) 2:12:34
10. Adil Annani (MAR) 2:12:43

12:14pm – Only fitting that Meb wins this historic 2014 Boston Marathon one year after the traumatic events of last year’s race.

12:09pm – MEB WINS!!!!!!! 2014 Boston Marathon Winner – Meb Keflezighi fist pumping, urging the crowd on as he approaches the tape! (via @BostonMarathon)

12:08pm – < 1000m to go for Meb. Let's go MEB!!! #runitfast 12:06pm - Last USA win at Boston was in 1983. Meb's drained near empty and second place is making up ground fast. Wilson Chebet is the chaser. 12:05pm - Meb is past 25 miles. Meb 2:02:32 at 25 12:00pm - Meb is at mile 23 with a 4:56 split. Can he? It's sure looking that way.

Top 10 Boston Marathon Female Finishers
1. Rita Jeptoo (KEN) 2:18:57
2. Buzunesh Deba (ETH) 2:19:59
3. Mare Dibaba (ETH) 2:20:35
4. Jemima Jelagat Sumgong 2:20:41
5. Meselech Melkamu (ETH) 2:21:28
6. Aleksandra Duliba (BLR) 2:21:29
7. Shalane Flanagan (USA) 2:22:02
8. Sharon Cherop (KEN) 2:23:00
9. Philes Ongori (KEN) 2:23:22
10. Desiree Linden (USA) 2:23:54

11:58am – Women’s elite winner Rita Jeptoo’s (KEN) 2:28:57 time is a course record. (via @BostonMarathon) Congrats on the repeat and 3rd Boston win. 8th fastest female marathon ever.

11:56am – Shalane Flanagan sets US record for fastest time at Boston Marathon in 2:21:01

11:55am – BOSTON MARATHON FEMALE WINNER: Rita Jeptoo (KEN) sets a course record (~2:18:57) to win the women’s 2014 Boston Marathon. Congrats to Rita who was so strong in finishing.

11:52am – 9 minutes away from Rita Jeptoo winning the Boston Marathon. Meb continues to kick and lead the men.

11:51am – 5:12 mile for Meb over Heartbreak Hill.

11:49am – Rita Jeptoo just knocked off a 4:47 split at mile 24. She is less than 2 miles from winning the 2014 Boston Marathon.

11:48am – Last year’s third place finisher in the men’s field Gebregziabher Gebremariam (ETH) has dropped out of the race at mile 15. (via @BostonMarathon)

11:45am – At 23 miles, the 2013 and 2006 Boston Marathon champion, Rita Jeptoo (KEN), establishes a large lead over the pack (2:03:01/5:14 split). (via @BostonMarathon)

11:44am – Meb is past mile 20 still looking pretty strong. Few signs of fatigue popping up.

11:41am – Amazing that the rest of the elite men have disappeared. Meb is having a great race but he is not blazing the course.

11:39am – Meb Keflezighi turns in a 4:58 clip to reach mile 18 in 1:28:04. (via @BostonMarathon) and 4:47 to mile 19.

11:34am – Mare Dibiba leads the women at mile 21. Meb continues to lead the men and has a large lead of 15 seconds.

11:30am – The women have hit mile 20 and Buzunesh Deba has taken the lead. 4 women remain in lead back. Flanagan has fallen off and out of the lead back.

11:27am – Meb is at mile 16 and his last mile split was 4:37.

11:22am – Meb looks extremely strong yet very relaxed. 25K in 1:15:59

11:21am – Meb has turned it up and is starting to put a bit of distance on Boit. The rest of the elite men must have stopped for a nap because they are no where in the picture at this point.

11:19am – Shalane is looking a bit more strained. 6 elite women are on her shoulder likely waiting for the chance to try to drop the hammer on Flanagan. A very impressive race by Flanagan no matter what happens from this point forward.

11:11am – Meb Keflezighi and Josphat Boit hit the half way point at 1:04.20. Their lead is up to 38 seconds and they are well alone in front of the other elite men.

11:09am – Women are at mile 17. Flanagan starting to get pushed and challenged a bit. (1:30:17)

11:04am – Tatyana McFadden (USA) wins her second straight push rim title (time: 1:35:06). (via @BostonMarathon)

11:02am – We are less than 60 min from having a female winner of the 118th Boston Marathon.

11:00am – 2014 Boston Marathon Finisher’s Medal (Pic)

10:59am – Shalane has been nothing less than dominant to this point. She might be putting something magical together today, but there is a lot of race left.

10:51am – Shalane hits the halfway point and is leading the women at a course record pace. She hit 13.1 in 1:09:25.

10:50am – Meb Keflezighi leading the men’s field at mile 8 by about eight seconds. Total time 39:10, 4:54 split. (via @BostonMarathon)

10:49am – Women are near the half way point. Shalane still up front. Ryan Hall has picked up the pace and is pacing the elite men at this point.

10:42am – Ernst Van Dyk breaks the tape to claim his 10th Boston Marathon title (wheelchair)!

10:41am – The elite women, continued to be led by Shalane Flanagan, are approaching Wellesley College.

10:35am – Flanagan continues to lead the women. Men’s elite led by Hall (USA), Keflezighi (USA) and Markos Geneti (ETH) run a 10k in 30:28. (via @BostonMarathon)

10:32am – Almost an exclusively white field of runners behind the elites today. Hopefully our sport can diversify over the next decade.

10:31am – Elite women pack down to 7 with Shalane leading the group.

10:30am – Wave #2 has been released and thousands more men and women have begin their journey towards Boston.

10:27am – Still a large pack of elite men bundled together. Slow pace so far. It’ll pick up once one of these elite men is tired of plodding along and believes he can get out and put some distance on everyone.

10:25am – The men’s field goes through mile 4 in 19:29 (~2:08:00 pace). (via @BostonMarathon)

10:24am – Men 24 sec behind world record pace at the 5k point.

10:23am – 19 min in and USA’s Meb is leading the 118th Boston Marathon.

10:19am – Tatyana McFadden (USA) distances herself in at mile 15 for the wheelchair women lead (52:21) (via @BostonMarathon)

10:16am – The elite pack of men is currently being led by Americans Ryan Hall and Meb.

10:14am – At the 10K mark (Framingham), Buzunesh Deba (ETH) and Flanagan (USA) pace the elite women’s lead pack (32:32). (via @BostonMarathon)

10:08am – 4:49 pace for the elite men through mile 1.

10:04am – Ernst Van Dyk leads the men’s chair through mile 12 in 34:39. (via @BostonMarathon)

Boston Marathon Qualifying Times/Standards

10:03am – The elite men and corral 1 is off! [TV talking head disses women, “And now it feels like the Boston Marathon has officially begun!”]

10:00am – Lelisa Desisa, last year’s winner, donning bib #1.

9:59am – The elite men are being introduced. Will a course record happen today?

9:57am – Flanagan back up front 24 min in after catching back up after the refueling station. Deba is next within the lead back behind Flanagan.

9:56am – I agree that Abdi strongly resembles Kobe Bryant facially.

9:55am – 5 minutes until the elite men start. How will Americans Ryan and Meb do today?

9:54am – Women field cross the 5K at a blazing 16:10 Flanagan (USA) continues to lead the 12 runner pack. (via @bostonmarathon)

9:52am – Fun Fact: It takes over 10,000 volunteers to put on the Boston Marathon.

9:50am – Shalane Flanagan continues to lead the lead elite women pack with about 10 runners in it.

9:47am – Dick and Ricky Hoyt just started with the rest of the push chairs.

9:46am – Fast start for the women. 5min9sec for the first mile by leader Shalane Flanagan.

9:45am – 15 minutes until the elite men start!

9:33am – The elite women have started! The strongest and deepest field according to many local experts and commentators.

9:31am – The introductions of the elite runners are taking place and we are moments away from the start of the 118th Boston Marathon. 57 degrees for the start of the race.

9:30am ET – Official start time for the elite male and female athletes.

2014 Boston Marathon Elite Men and Women

Watch the Boston Marathon Live TV Feed

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Here is a look at the elite male and female runners that will be running the 2014 Boston Marathon on April 21, 2014 at 9:30AM ET.

[source: BAA]

On the one year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing we remember not only those that lost their lives or were injured on that tragic day, but we remember all of the heroic first responders, police officers, volunteers, and fellow runners that helped injured runners, spectators, loved ones, and brought reassurance to all that were shaken on that gloomy Boston afternoon.

What we learned that day is that runners are an extremely tight knit community, even if we come from various backgrounds, beliefs, and ideologies.

The city of Boston’s police, firefighters, first aid responders, hospitals, and doctors were flawless that day during extremely traumatic circumstances.

Marathon runners and their families that day found solace in each other’s embrace, warmth, and strength as a group.  The rest of us runners that weren’t there united in prayer while raising support emotionally and financially in order to keep spirits afloat.  We used our legs in the ensuing weeks to show that two deranged bombers couldn’t terrorize us from racing or scare us away from running.

It’s catchy to say ‘Boston Strong!’ but in actuality it’s ‘Runner Strong!’  Runners from all over the United States and globe have each other’s backs in good times, bad times, and when terror strikes we unite closer than most countries do during an attack or natural disaster.

Running has helped thousands of runners overcome addiction, loss of life, pain, and create a new and healthier lifestyle. So inherently it’s a very strong group. Running only makes us stronger and closer. When something like the bombing at the Boston Marathon happens strengthens our bond and shows the very best of all of us.

So today we remember those we lost and those that lost limb or health that day. We raise them up, not just with our legs, but with our hearts and in remembrance, not only today, but every time we lace up our running shoes or simply think about them.

-Joshua Holmes

The prevalence of marathons has exploded in the past decade across the United States, and the entry fee for these races has exploded at the exact same pace.

So we have compiled the list below of The Most Expensive Marathons in the United States that we could find. We are sure there are many that aren’t on this list that we haven’t come across yet. Don’t worry! We’ll update the list as they come to our attention.

(The list is limited to 26.2 mile marathons. It does not include half marathons or ultramarathons.)

The Most Expensive Marathons in The United States

1. New York City Marathon – $255
2. Walt Disney World Marathon – $190
3. Chicago Marathon – $185 ($220 outside of the U.S.)
4. Los Angeles Marathon – $180
5. Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon – $180
6. Boston Marathon – $175 ($225 outside of U.S)
7. San Francisco Marathon – $165
8. Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon  – $160
9. Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon – $150
10. Big Sur International Marathon – $150
11. Malibu International Marathon – $140
12. Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon – $140
13. Rock ‘n’ Roll St. Louis Marathon – $135
14. Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Marathon – $135
15. Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon – $130
16. Rock ‘n’ Roll Savannah Marathon – $130
17. Twin Cities Marathon – $130
18. Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon – $130
19. Griffith Park Trail Marathon – $125
20. Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio – $125
21. Maui Oceanfront Marathon – $125
22. Flying Pig Marathon – $115
23. Marine Corps Marathon – $110

How much is too much to pay for a 26.2 mile marathon? What’s your financial limit for a marathon?

So which marathons did we miss that deserve to be on this list? Email us at runitfast@gmail.com with the name of the race, price, and date of the race. You can tweet us on Twitter @runitfast as well.

The Boston Red Sox paid tribute to the tragic victims of the Boston Marathon bombing today before their ALDS Playoff game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The outfield grass was cut in centerfield to a giant circle with a massive ‘B’ with ‘Strong’ underneath it.

‘Boston Strong’ became the theme in the days after the attacks to raise money and hope for those that were injured, killed, hurt in the attack and their families.

Jeff Buckley’s ‘Hallelujah’ played over the PA system to the crowd as a moment of silence was held for all those that lost life or were injured during the bombing attack that took place back in April.

It was a beautiful and touching tribute that reminded us of how sports can be used to heal and bring us together as a collective group when tragedy happens or the world gets turned upside down.

Well done, Boston!

#BOSTONSTRONG

[image via @BoogSciambi]

Third place age-group award of 2013 Boston Marathon

Today I received the sweetest e-mail a marathoners could hope for.
For four months I told everyone I had finished fourth in my age division at the 2013 Boston Marathon, broadcasting it on Twitter and Facebook and even saying it in a radio interview. But all the while I knew it wasn’t true. Boston had made an error in my time. I’d actually finished third, hence a podium position. But given the tragic blast there, where so many lost so much, I didn’t feel like raising a big whine about it. The workload at B.A.A. must have been overwhelming, I figured.
Too, leg cramps had ruined my run, and I didn’t feel like I deserved to win anything. I should have run better. I accepted fourth.
But Boston did eventually correct my finishing time, which put me in third position. It was a narrow victory with only a 16 second margin.
Read the full story by Dallas Smith by clicking HERE

The Boston Athletic Association sent out an email this morning to runners that did not finish the 2013 Boston Marathon due to the bombings that took place near the finish line.

Here is what the info from BAA said:

“You are receiving this email because you have been identified as a 2013 Boston Marathon participant who reached at least the half-marathon mark on April 15 but who did not cross the finish line on Boylston Street.
B.A.A. Extends Special Invitation To 2013 Boston Marathon Starters Who Did Not Cross Boylston Street Finish Line.

The B.A.A. is extending an invitation to register for the 2014 Boston Marathon to official entrants in the 2013 Boston Marathon who were unable to cross the Boylston Street finish line.”

To be eligible, a 2013 Boston Marathon participant must have been an official entrant who started the race and who reached the half marathon mark in this year’s race on Monday, April 15. Registration for the 2014 Boston Marathon is scheduled to occur in September, and 2013 Boston Marathon participants who were unable to cross the finish line on Boylston Street will receive a non-transferable unique code in early August to be used for entry. An applicant’s entry will be guaranteed only during a designated registration period. Participants will be required to pay an entry fee, which has yet to be determined.

Class move from a classy organization. However, if you were hoping to qualify and gain entry for the 2014 Boston Marathon it is going to be difficult unless they plan to open up more slots.

Social media photo of Suspect #2 Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev

UPDATE 4: NBC News and AP reporting that the suspects are brothers and are Russian. The suspect at large according to the AP: Surviving Boston bomb suspect identified as Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, of Cambridge, Mass NOT Sunil Tripathi.

MORE FROM AP ON SUSPECTS: Boston bomb suspects from Russia region near Chechnya, lived in US at least 1 year

AND MORE FROM @NBCNEWS: Boston suspects are brothers, aged 19 and 20, and legal permanent U.S. residents of Chechen origin, sources say

Universities closed: Universities in Boston area closed: Harvard, MIT, Boston College, Boston U., Emerson via @CNN

UPDATE 3: Skolnik now reporting (via scanner) that the suspect was not in the cab that police arrested three men and that the search for suspect #2 continues…

Police are reporting on the scanner that they have suspect #2 in custody: “We’ve got him, he’s in custody right now!” per @MichaelSkolnik. No confirmation yet.

DEVELOPING: NBC: Pete Williams: carjacking victim told authorities the carjackers identified themselves as the marathon bombers – via @NewsBreaker

UPDATE 2: Doctors at Beth Israel Hospital say that alleged suspect #1 that was brought to ER died from multiple gunshot wounds and what seemed to be like an explosion as well.

NBC reporting that suspect #2 is not Sunil Tripathi. More as this story continues to break… As reported earlier the names Sunil Tripathi and Mike Mulugeta were mentioned on the Boston Police scanner as suspects per several reports but never confirmed officially.

UPDATE: Boston Police via it’s twitter @Boston_Police releases new image of suspect #2 that looks as if it was taken at a gas station/7-Eleven.  “Believe this man to be a terrorist out to kill people!”  (see below)

Police scanner identified names per @NewsBreaker

Reports are tying the MIT shooting and bombing to the Boston Marathon bombings as well.  Explosions and multiple gun shots have killed at least one campus police officer. A car jacking also took place at a 7-Eleven where the officer was believed to have been shot. Explosives where thrown from the car during the chase.

Fox News is reporting that suspect #1 is dead. Suspect #2 is believed to be loose, armed, and on the run.

FBI RELEASES PHOTOS OF SUSPECTED BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING SUSPECTS

UPDATE 2: Suspect #1 (dark hat from FBI photos) has reportedly died at the hospital whil suspect #2 (white hat) is still on the run and is dangerous after shootings and explosions at MIT according to Fox News. A campus police officer died in the shootings. More info HERE!

UPDATE: The two suspects are believed to be Sunil Tripathi and Mike Mulugeta. One is reported to be in custody and one of the run after shootings and explosions at and around the MIT campus and in Watertown, MA. The FBI officially is not confirming the connection of the MIT shooting to the Boston Marathon bombings.

Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Field Office Richard DesLauriers, United States Attorney Carmen Ortiz, and FBI JTTF law enforcement partners held a press briefing today, April 18, regarding the Boston Marathon investigation.

The FBI released several photos of two men suspected to having planted the two bombs that exploded at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.

The photo below has also been passed around showing fraternity boy #1 leaving the scene of the bombing, after it exploded, without his backback on.

If you have visual images, video, and/or details regarding the explosions along the Boston Marathon route and elsewhere, submit them on https://bostonmarathontips.fbi.gov/. No piece of information or detail is too small.

You can also call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), prompt #3, with information.

We have no answers from the senseless Boston Marathon bombings that took place yesterday. When we finally have answers they won’t make sense. They will just point a finger at some radical lunatic that decided to kill innocent people to make some sort of deranged point.

I covered yesterday’s Boston Marathon for 16 hours straight. Running is one of my passions and it’s part of what I do for a living. I had just finished most of the race coverage for Run It Fast when the bombs went off at the finish line in Boston.

It’s not the first time I’ve heard reports of ‘bombs’ at a sporting event. Usually those reports are erroneous or false.  So naturally at first I thought maybe a car backfired or some fireworks went off that wrongly set off the social media first responders with incorrect tweets and status updates.

However, the videos from the attack quickly reached the internet, TV, and we all realized that something very serious had just happened.  I created Run It Fast – The Club fourteen months ago and had been tracking all of our runners that were running the Boston Marathon. About half of our runners had crossed the finish line at that point, but the rest of them were on target to finish just about when the bombs went off.

That’s when it all started to hit home. The runners became real to us and you feel connected to the terror that unfolded collectively. The tragedy that happened yesterday, that happens 20x a day in Iraq and other countries, becomes surreal and a terror to you and those that have loved ones that were present. You may have begun thinking about your family, when you would have been finishing the race- if you had been there running it, and where your family would have been, waiting on you to watch you finish your first Boston Marathon.

Likely my family would have been near the finish where the bombs went off, and I would have been finishing within minutes of detonation.  Maybe I would have been over there on the sidewalk reconnecting with my family and waiting for fellow Run It Fast members to finish. What if? What if? What if?

Then at some point you start to think of the tragedy of the entire thing. Those poor people that were wounded or killed were just the victims of a random act of violence.  But really it wasn’t random to them. Random acts of violence are never random. They are deliberate and the victims are almost always selected beforehand even if their names aren’t known.  Someone intentionally set out to kill, injure, and maim dozens of people at the finish line in Boston.

Violence is an epidemic. It is in certain parts of the world. We can claim to be the land of the free in America but we live in a dangerous society. Some of us are privileged to live away from where most violence takes place, but our lives interweave us all, of every background and origin, into each other’s lives as our stories unfold.

I was jumped after a high school football game, at the inner city high school I attended, when I was a 14-year old freshman. That same year I was an innocent bystander in a race-riot at my high school. SWAT teams, police, dogs covered campus as most of us were simply trying to learn American history when in fact we were being caught in the middle of it at that very moment.  When I was 19, I was robbed at gunpoint in my apartment with a gun to my head. Six years after that I awoke in my apartment in Athens to the Greek mafia staring down at me.  What went down in that apartment in those early hours have never fully been discussed outside of myself and my roommate during that intense early morning wake up.  For now let’s just say that what Hollywood puts in most action/suspense movies is more believable.

Each incident was worse than the prior one. I always thought that my odds of being the victim of ‘random acts of violence’ had to finally be down to like infinity to one since I’d already been randomly selected multiple times. But I’m just as likely tomorrow to be the victim of some senseless tragedy as you are.

Most would consider that to be very bad luck. It was traumatic in part, but I was actually lucky.  Besides a busted lip from getting jumped I was uninjured physically. However, those events always stick with you. They hide for the most part, and you might think it never happened, but then something ‘random’ like yesterday happens and it all flashes forward to reality again and you start to think once again of ‘What if?’  You feel the pain more than most and your heart bleeds and your heart cries for those that lost a loved one or were injured.

The victims from yesterday will be told by many that they are lucky to have survived.  They won’t always agree with that assessment. They will have wounds that will never heal. They will have nightmares that will never resolve.  They’ll see a neighbor jogging down the street and be struck with tremors from what happened in Boston on April 15th.

But from the concrete absoluteness of obscurity comes small blades of hope and brightness as time passes and wounds heal.

When evil strikes it makes a massive splash that dashes the hopes from humanity, at least for a small microcosm.  Then great starts to surface because simple goodness wouldn’t be good enough to whitewash the atrocities of what that evil has done.

For good is better than evil and great trumps evil. Greatness is dormant in most of us and often needs a powder-keg, sadly perhaps literally, to set it off. But once ignited you start to see the best of humanity. Hope starts to rebrand itself in society when this happens.

When the bombs went off yesterday, we saw runners and first responders run towards the smoke and explosions to help and hopefully save our fallen brothers and sisters.

As Andy Durfresne said in The Shawshank Redemption, “Hope is a good thing, perhaps the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

Runners are tough people…some of the toughest people on the planet. Often what others might confuse for a white flag is a dirtied handkerchief that we take out of our pocket to tie around our bloodied leg so we can get up and keep marching forward.

A lot of humans that run do so because they’ve already dealt with something traumatic or overcome some bad injustice, act of violence, rape, death, cancer, depression, or life-altering event.

For when we run hard and run far everything leaves our systems as we become squarely focused on the most basic things like breathing, survival, where our next step will land.  It detoxes us and removes all the toxins from badness, heartache, confusion, and what troubles us in our daily lives.

But even the best of us can’t run forever and when we stop or the race is over we have to figure out how to survive and how to respond when evil strikes and fear starts to consume our lungs that were just filled with oxygen and endorphins that made us think that we could do anything.

And life is perhaps best summed up with just that. Where will our next step land when the race is over?

The events of yesterday and humanity’s track record would strongly suggest that step is towards the smoke and flames and out of the ashes, humanity will win the Boston Marathon!